Kefir Smoothie – Fruit Flavored – Your Choice of Sweetener!

This Kefir Smoothie is made with frozen fruit and honey and is so delicious. But, of course, you can use any sweetener you want! It’s a great way to start the day and get your probiotics. 

After all, what tastier way is there to feed the gut the good bacteria it needs? And, it is GAPS diet legal and can help reverse leaky gut.

This kefir smoothie recipe is just one of the recipes included in my Simple Cheesemaking ebook. Follow the link to find more wonderful cheese recipes with easy to follow instructions and much more!

Kefir smoothies are enjoyed daily at our house. Because they’re so easy to make from scratch and they contain such delicious ingredients, our family has embraced them wholeheartedly!

Kefir is a staple on the GAPS diet if you do not have problems with diary because it feeds the good bacteria and can help reverse leaky gut!

It helped me reverse chronic illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and food allergies!

What Does Kefir Do For You?

If you are not familiar with kefir, it is like yogurt on steroids, as far as probiotics are concerned. Yogurt can have 5 – 7 strains of beneficial bacteria but, kefir can have 50+!

That is quite a difference if you are concerned about your gut health. I know we all want to be healthier and having a healthy gut is very important. Kefir is a and other fermented foods are a tool to reach that end.

Milk is a good source of protein and calcium, and kefir is no different.

However it has the added benefits of probiotics. Probiotics are known as ‘friendly bacteria’ that can help reverse leaky gut and help with symptoms, such as, bloating. (source)

How is Kefir Different from Yogurt?

If you are new to kefir here a some of its differences between kefir an yogurt:

• Kefir has many more strains of probiotic bacteria than yogurt. This is one reason you should drink it!
• It is not as thick as yogurt and is drinkable like regular milk.
• Kefir also has more twang than yogurt thus, depending on your taste, may require more sweetening. Yet I find it more drinkable partly for that exact reason.

Other Ways To Use Kefir

There are lots of ways to use kefir. It’s a wonderful dairy product that you can use as a substitute in many recipes.

• Use it in my fried chicken recipe and it produces a deliciously tender yet crunchy fried chicken!
• Kefir can be used as a substitute for sour cream (although it is not as thick), buttermilk or an enhancer for many recipes. In my Buttermilk Pie, I find that it adds a sweet tang to the overall taste.
• Kefir isn’t always the predominant flavor in every recipe where you find it—but sometimes you want it to be! That’s why we also use it in recipes like the one for these popsicles.
• While I like to drink kefir plain, others in the family prefer it to be made into a smoothie. So, that is what we have each morning with our breakfast – a kefir smoothie.

How to Make a Kefir Smoothie

We like to add sweeter fruit to our smoothies, adding things like strawberries and blueberries. 

Just add the type of fruit you want to work with and play around with different textures. Rule of thumb is 1/2 cup of fruit per 1 cup of kefir – but of course, you can use any ratio you desire.

Different fruit combinations are delicious and there are lots of great combos to be found!

To recap:

• Using a blender – Add kefir, fruit (1/2 cup of fruit to each 1 cups kefir), sweetener (I use 1 – 2 Tbsp honey) of choice and blend.
• Using an immersion blender – Add kefir, fruit (1/2 cup of fruit to each 1 cups kefir), sweetener (I use 1 – 2 Tbsp honey) of choice and using the immersion blender, blend until smooth.

I have purchased kefir grains which are required for homemade kefir and you can find detailed instructions on making it yourself in the How to Make Kefir Video.

If you have not tried it before, I encourage you to – it is very simple and much more economical.

More About the Health Benefits of Kefir

Kefir is amazing! According to Wikipedia:

Probiotic bacteria found in kefir products include Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactococcus lactis, and Leuconostoc species.

Lactobacilli in kefir may exist in concentrations varying from approximately 1 million to 1 billion colony-forming units per milliliter and are the bacteria responsible for the synthesis of the polysaccharide kefiran.

In addition to bacteria, kefir often contains strains of yeast that can metabolize lactose, such as Kluyveromyces marxianus, Kluyveromyces lactis and Saccharomyces fragilis, as well as strains of yeast that do not metabolize lactose, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii, and Kazachstania unispora. The nutritional significance of these strains is unknown.

Tips for Making a Kefir Smoothie

• In the following kefir smoothie recipe, the amount of honey you add varies depending on the twanginess of the kefir and how sweet you like it. Feel free to adjust as your taste changes.
• Be adventurous – add any fruit – bananas, strawberries, blueberries, mango – the possibilities are endless!
• Don’t be afraid to try a green kefir smoothie – add 1 c. spinach or kale and 1 c. fruit.

If you’ve tried this Kefir Smoothie or any other recipe on Cultured Palate please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YouTube and TWITTER

What Fruit Flavor Kefir Do You Like the Best?

Leave a comment – I would love to know!

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